


Bruises

by Curtailednotions



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends Bucky and Tony, Best Friends Jane and Darcy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Culver University (Marvel), F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Stark Tower, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26789449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curtailednotions/pseuds/Curtailednotions
Summary: A Soulmate AU where the marks you make on your skin, show up on your soulmate.The only sign of Darcy's soulmate were the bruises littered all over body.Bucky needs to get rid of HYDRA before he can pursue his soulmate.A relationship built on hope, patience and love.******Updates every three days :)
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Darcy Lewis, James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 23
Kudos: 156





	1. Okati.

**Author's Note:**

> This will be my first multi-chaptered fic!!!! Will post a new chapter every three days. <3   
> Edited by the lovely @seraphimguks on Tumblr. Check out her works!! You won't be disappointed. <3

Hope. 

/həʊp/

Noun. 

a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.

It's a well-known saying that love is the strongest emotion in the world. But, to Darcy, it was hope. 

It's true that it's easy to lose hope, but, when it is embedded deep within your soul, hope will not leave. It will give you the strength to hold on, to believe and even flourish in the darkest and most miserable of times. It will be your companion when you're in need of one and your rock when you need the assurance. 

Love is when you're deriving strength from another being. Hope on the other hand, requires no such thing. It's something that comes from within you. To Darcy, hope was always the most reliable. Loved ones leave, but you can never leave yourself. Can you? 

***

It had been just over a month since Darcy and Jane began working at the Stark tower. Tony had plans for a new project and personally scouted Astrophysicist Jane Foster for the job. Since Jane and Darcy come in a pair, she too was dragged along for the ride. 

Darcy had to admit she was just the tiniest bit intimidated at first. To think that she would be working in the same building as the Avengers was just too much to process. At first, she was just really fascinated by Tony. Billionaire, playboy and philanthropist. That's what the tabloids reported, at least. But, no one could deny his intelligence. Ever since she was a teenager, she would follow Tony on the news. The growth in his personality was very visible as time passed. As she grew older, so did Tony. He became a more responsible inventor. Most importantly, he saved the world. Multiple times. Darcy always wanted to work with him. Even meeting him just once would have been everything. Truly, her happiness knew no bounds. 

It was just the distraction she needed, as another year went by, but still there was no sign of her soulmate acknowledging her. 

***

Soulmates were a gift that all humans received from God. According to mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, god split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves. Seeing the struggles faced by the earlier humans in their quest to find love, god took pity on our race and gave us a gift. A gift to aid in our search for love. 

On the twentieth birthday of the younger or youngest soulmate, any marks made on one's body would show up on the other's body and vice versa. 

It's a beautiful thing, really! Often, Darcy would see people on the street whose forearms or palms had words of encouragement written on them. There was still the occasional person with face markings, most likely a prank played on by their soulmates. However, what Darcy found the cutest, was grocery lists appearing on people's arms while out shopping. She loved the whole domesticity of it. For someone who grew up in an orphanage, having a family meant the world. All Darcy ever wanted was a normal life and domestic bliss. Someday, she'll make it happen. It was an endeavor she drove to do well. 

***

The day Darcy turned 20, she was out celebrating in a bar with her friends. She was definitely a little upset, given that her soulmate never replied to her message. 

_ Greetings! This is Darcy, your soulmate. <3 _

_ What's your name? :)  _

She wrote in elegant cursive on her left forearm in a deep blue ink. It was pretty big and hard to miss. She pondered over the lack of response while she nursed a beer. If she didn't get a response, it could be that her soulmate was younger than her, which she highly doubted, given that she almost always found older dudes attractive. Still, it was possible that the universe threw a curve ball at her. The only other possible explanation would be that her soulmate didn't have a left forearm. She immediately dismissed that thought. She knew she would love her soulmate regardless, but she didn't want to ruminate upon such tragic situations. 

Her friends brought her out of reverie and dragged her out to the dance floor. She too, gave away all her inhibitions and let herself go on the dance floor. Her long, luscious, chocolate curls bounced over the expanse of her back as she grooved her body to the beat. She removed her glasses and hooked them to the front of her shirt as she continued to sway and swerve in the arms of her friends. 

After one of the wildest nights in her life, she somehow made it back to the dorms in one piece and tanked hard onto her tiny mattress. 

***

Darcy was never one to wear covering clothing. She often found jeans and long sleeves restrictive and settles for the more comfortable option of a loose tee and shorts. So, as she dressed for brunch the following day, she was rendered speechless when she took a look at herself in the mirror. 

Deep purple bruises bloomed all along the side of her thighs and ever crawled over her hip and colored the side of her ribs. If she looked close enough, she could even see redness just under her jaw. In case she needed any confirmation of her soulmate's existence, she had got it. Loud and clear. 

She immediately took a marker and wrote once again on her left hand. 

_ What happened? You're hurt. Are you okay?? _

She waited and waited, but there was no response. She didn't know what to do. Fat tears streamed down her face. She then proceeded to write her message on different body parts. She again waited, this time for nearly an hour, but there was still no response.

Darcy didn't know what to do. 

Every couple of days or so, new bruises would keep showing up. To avoid all the questioning glances, she began covering herself up more. Anyway, her finals were coming up and she needed to be studying in the library more often. And so, she isolated herself till the end of her finals, away from questioning glances. 

The day she gave her last exam was also the day she received her acceptance letter for an internship with Dr. Erik Selvig, in Norway. The weather there would be the perfect excuse to dodge any possible questions regarding her rather frequent bruising. Funnily enough, the bruises tended to heal way quicker than the average. 

It wasn't more so the presence of bruises on her body that inconvenienced her, rather, the sheer amount of pain her soulmate must be experiencing on the near regular that broke her heart. She loved him. 

Truly, she did. 

Darcy didn't know his name, or age or who he was. He could be a criminal for all she cared, but she still loved him. He was her soulmate. It pained her greatly to see bruises appear like that. He even suffered multiple slashes or cuts sometimes and they would appear as angry red lines on her skin. The only solace was they would disappear rather quickly. From what sources she could find on the internet, marks or bruises fade at the same rate on both the soulmates bodies. So, if the bruises on her body were disappearing overnight, it meant that his disappeared as well. 

Darcy didn't feel comfortable telling anyone, not even her friends about her soulmate. She suffered in private. She was leaving her college and her friends anyway. She didn't see the point of sharing her plight. 

Staying happy and still maintaining a positive outlook on life got extremely hard as time went on by. It was as incredible struggle to focus on her finals and study like she needed to. Many nights, she couldn't fall asleep because of the guilt. It was gnawing at her like starved dogs to a bone. Guilt that she was safe and secure in her dorm, on a comfortable bed while her other half suffered. She kept writing messages on different parts of her body regularly, in hopes that he would respond. But to her dismay, she didn't get a response even after a month. 

Frustration overtook her with the force of a tsunami and the day before her finals, she just punched the wall. Hard. She was so high strung, since it was the morning after her birthday that she just snapped. Darcy punched the wall with both hands till her knuckles bled and both hands were swollen. She got the release she wanted, but at a cost. As the high wore off, she was in immeasurable pain. 

Darcy took herself to a small clinic near her dorms and let the night-duty nurse patch her up. Giving her finals doped up on painkillers was far from an ideal situation, but it was one she had to deal with. Darcy was never really one to get into a physical fight. She never took martial arts as a child either. Getting physically hurt was new to her. There's a first time for everything, she supposed. 

The next morning, while changing her bandage before her test, she noticed a small mark, just below her right pinky on the backside of her palm. It was most definitely a heart. It looked so precise; she could have sworn it wasn't done by hand. Before she knew it, fat tears of joy streamed down her face. Her soulmate responded. With lighting speed, she reached for a marker, and wrote a message under the heart. 

_ Hello Soulmate! I'm Darcy. And you are?  _

Expectedly, there was no reply. So, Darcy forced herself to come to terms that maybe her soulmate didn't want to interact with her. He probably had his own reasons and she could only hope that one day, he would reveal himself. Till then, she would comfort him whenever he got hurt. 

It became a ritual of sorts. Each morning, Darcy would inspect her naked self in the mirror and figure out where all her man got hurt, and proceed to draw a heart on each location. Doing this helped settle her forlorn heart. In her head this was the only way she could think of to take care of her soulmate. 

This was how she would get by. After all she was a 21st century, smart and capable independent woman. She could survive anything and thrive anywhere. 

***

Norway was cold. Extremely cold. Incomparable to the weather at Culver. Darcy just wanted to sip hot cocoa in front of a fire place, and do nothing else. She was ready to give up by the time she reached Tromsø. It was one of the northernmost municipalities in the country and one could regularly witness the northern lights. In short, Tromsø was a beauty like no other. 

Dr. Erik Selvig, personally came to receive her from the bus stop. Although Darcy majored in  _ polisci _ , she decided to minor in theoretical physics when she attended one of Dr. Selvig's lectures by accident in her first semester. Dr. Selvig left his job at Culver University by the end of her first semester, but she continued to study Theoretical Physics. A few months prior to her finals, she decided to contact her former professor in hopes that he would let her intern with him. 

Somehow her stars aligned and she found herself working with Dr. Erik Selvig and Jane Foster for nearly 4 years in Norway. Throughout the course of those four years, Jane became Darcy's family and greatest confidante. Jane and Darcy were sisters and platonic soulmates even. As a consequence of working together in close proximity for years, they knew each other like the back of their hand. 

In fact, sometimes when some of her bruises weren't reachable to Darcy, she'd have Jane draw the heart for her. Jane never judged Darcy's soulmate or her for that matter. It was quiet acceptance. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Jane didn't have a soulmate yet. She was thirty years old, yet still no sign from her soulmate. They both never really breached that topic anyway. They beautifully danced around each other's landmines to best focus on their work at hand. 

An internship turned into a full-time job, but Darcy had no complaints. Darcy even found herself a martial arts instructor in Tromsø. A month into her stay, she found a lanky middle-aged man who put down several hunky dudes in a bar fight. Severely impressed, Darcy begged and pleaded the man to train her in the arts of self-defense and fighting. She told herself that she did this to keep herself busy and fit. But she and Jane both knew the real reason. Darcy really wanted to be able to take care of her soulmate when the time came. Whenever their paths crossed, Darcy wanted to be able to protect him. He had hurt himself enough for a lifetime. Darcy would not let anyone hurt him, after meeting him. That was a promise she made to herself, and one she intended to keep. Regardless of everything. 

The trio even did a brief stint in Arizona, which led them to meet Thor. But that was a story for another day. Eventually, they came back to Norway, to wrap up loose ends. It was then, that Jane received a proposal from Tony Stark himself. That changed Darcy's life forever. 

***

Her first day of work couldn't be more overwhelming. Stark commissioned a private jet to bring the duo from Oslo to NYC. From the tarmac, a helicopter ferried them to the Stark Tower. 

It was honestly one of the most incredible things Darcy has witnesses in her lifetime. The sparkling skyline of New York City at night. What she wouldn't do to experience that once again. Darcy's heart nearly beat out of her chest when she saw the tall glowing beacon that was Stark Tower in the night sky. It was flashy yet sophisticated. It's design, magnificent. They gently made a landing on the helipad. As Jane and Darcy stepped down, they were greeted by Tony and followed him towards the elevators that took them to the residential levels of the Tower. 

"Enjoying the view, I see." Tony had this general smugness about him. Although it was a slight turnoff, Darcy expected nothing less. She was living a dream and had no complaints. Darcy nodded in assent at Tony's comment and at the view as they made their way down in the glass elevator. Jane on the other hand was composed as always. Her technical eye assessing her surroundings. 

The trio met Pepper the moment they stepped out of the elevator into the lobby of the residential floors. Pepper had an easy smile and a professional aura. With her smooth pencil shirt, impeccably pressed button down and not a hair out of place, she embodied every part of her role as CEO of Stark Industries. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with and Darcy immediately took a liking to her. She could only hope the feeling was mutual.

Pepper helped them both settle down in their own allocated mini apartments in the residential area. And since Jane and Darcy were here to directly collaborate with Tony Stark himself, they were given accommodation in his tower. Pepper made it very clear to them that this was a special scenario and was definitely not common practice. Their researchers in Stark's R&D labs in the lower levels of the tower had no access to Stark's personal labs in the higher floors. In fact, Darcy and Jane's biometrics were taken before they were allowed to go to bed for security purposes. Darcy was so  _ fucking _ impressed when JARVIS was introduced to them.

***

Darcy had a lot of trouble falling asleep in the past month or two. The bruises and markings kept getting worse and worse. No matter how much she tried to distract herself from thinking about him during the day, there was no escape from it at night. She was beyond worried. She was terrified that he may not last long. Even the bruises were taking longer to heal. 

Earlier, there were weeks at a time when her skin would remain unblemished. But lately, angry marks littered her skin every couple of days. Thankfully, she arrived in New York just as fall made way for winter and could cover it all up with layers of clothing. 

It wasn't that Darcy didn't try to search for him. She did! She had scoured the internet relentlessly for years. She even hired a very expensive Personal Investigator who was very much reputed for tracking down soulmates. But even that was a dead end. Tony was her last resort. She was going to ask him to help out someday soon. She had to. At the rate that her soulmate's injuries were progressing, she didn't know if he would survive. 

Darcy had always held onto hope. Tightly and securely. She strongly believed that things will turn out okay someday. Some part of her hoped that her soulmate will somehow find his way to her. But she couldn't sit around and wait any longer. Now that she got to work with Tony, she would take full advantage of it. There was nothing that Tony couldn't do. He will help her. He had to. 


	2. Rendu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2!!! A day early <33  
> Hope y'all like it!  
> Edited by the lovely @seraphimguks on tumblr. She writes the best jungkook fanfiction so do check her out!!!!

After debriefing at the end of each mission, Bucky was put into his Cryostasis chamber as per procedure. If he began to have any recollection of his past, asked any unnecessary questions or behaved unfavorably, HYDRA would take immense pleasure in electrocuting him and then erasing his memory before freezing him.

Bucky was their puppet. A mere errand boy. Yes, expensive to maintain and it came with its own risks, but Bucky would execute their plans to perfection. For decades, Bucky performed countless murders, razed cities and wrecked havoc on the lives of millions. Were they all innocent? Maybe, maybe not. But Bucky's body had performed all those crimes. The blood of millions stained his fingers, but he was never in the driver's seat. Nevertheless, during brief moments of mental jail break, he would get flashbacks in his head of his past life. All the things he had done in the past few decades. Throughout it all, he would always come to only three conclusions: He was a murderer, He had to destroy HYDRA and then destroy himself in penance and Steve.

Things got weird when a mark appeared during one of his debriefs. Till then, Bucky had managed to not get his memory erased for a good couple of years by behaving like he was an empty can. He formulated an extravagantly detailed plan to take down HYDRA and needed a few more months to put it into action. He would finally break free, but for that he had to be patient. 

"Boss, there is some writing on The Winter Soldier's lower left ribs." One of the scientists working on repairing Bucky's arm exclaimed to his supervisor. Bucky tried not to react to what was happening and presented a blank face. He hoped that they would all buy his acting. 

The supervisor, came over and took a good look at the writing. It was written in neat looping cursive. 

_ What happened? You're hurt. Are you okay?? _

Immediately the supervisor began laughing maniacally. "This bastard has a soulmate. The poor thing. Once we find out who she is, maybe we should get him to kill her for fun." While the rest of the scientists in the room were having a laugh, the supervisor kept his eye keenly on Bucky's face. He needed to know if Bucky was aware or in his senses. 

The supervisor knew that soulmates tended to be extremely protective of one another. Even the littlest insult was gravely triggering. The supervisor tried to get a reaction out of Bucky by uttering profanities about the girl and passing lewd remarks. The other scientists also chipped in when they saw what their boss was doing. 

Bucky never really operated on such high levels of restraint before. He was the master of pushing for restraint. Bucky didn't know who the girl was and he didn't even get a chance to look at what she wrote, but Bucky was certain about one thing. He couldn't let any harm befall her. Operating on that thought alone, Bucky steeled himself and willed himself not to react. Not even a little. Not a breath irregular either. After what felt like an eternity of holding himself back, the supervisor shifted his focus elsewhere, seemingly pleased with Bucky's acting. 

"I think we have finally broken him. He had no reaction, even to the mere mention of his soulmate,” the supervisor expressed in maniacal glee. His subordinates let out peals of cheers and Bucky felt a small burst of elation at being put into Cryo once again. He had another mission scheduled soon in a few weeks and hopefully, he was on the path to freeing himself soon enough. 

***

Bucky knew his soulmate tried to reach out to him and thankfully, the scientists haven't found any more of her marks and haven't made any headway in locating her either. Bucky knew he wouldn't be able to resist frequent communication with her if he began responding. On the other hand, he was also conflicted for another reason. He didn't know if he deserved her. But eventually, he concluded that it was best to think about that once he managed to locate her. 

First and fore most on his To-do list was defeating HYDRA. Then, he would scour the world for his soulmate and assess the situation. If she was happy with her life, he decided that he would let her be and be content with watching her from afar. He knew he came with a lot of baggage and frankly, he was too much to handle. Anyone would feel so. 

And secondly, there were way too many people out to get him. He would never want to be the reason why his soulmate got hurt. That was the one person he was tasked to protect. For this at least, it would be a job he would do well. He promised to himself that he would care of her and protect her. He needed to see this till the end of his days. 

Bucky let himself ruminate while on a stakeout. It was a rather simple job. Assassination of some ex-HYDRA members who have exploited the organization. 

He was lying flat on his stomach, on the roof of one of downtown D.C.'s skyscrapers, rifle pointed towards the window of an adjacent building where his target was supposed to show up. 

Bucky carried out the murder with extreme ease and quickly proceeded to pack up. He had planned on taking out another one of HYDRA's strongholds in the middle of his mission and he needed to hurry to his next location. As he began to take off his gloves post packing up his weapons, Bucky noticed something. 

His knuckles were bright red. He would have just assumed that he hurt himself somewhere, but it was when he saw sharp dark red lines appear lengthwise on his knuckles, he understood. That wasn't his injury. It was  _ hers.  _

Bucky felt protectiveness surge like hot flames of gasoline throughout his body. Not knowing the best course of action, Bucky took a marker and drew two dots. He was initially going for a smiley face. He thought it to be harmless enough. But somehow, instead of what he thought to draw, he ended up connecting the two dots in two precise curved strokes, forming a heart. 

Bucky decided it was best to wear his gloves again, in fear that his mark will be caught by CCTV cameras somewhere and he fled the scene. 

  
  


***

Throughout the course of the next few years, Bucky methodically, single-handedly razed innumerable HYDRA strongholds. It made it seem like it was the Avengers who were behind it all. 

Bucky was aware of the Avengers, although he wasn't certain of what they looked like or who they actually were. All he knew was that they were the good guys and also were out to destroy HYDRA. So, Bucky studied some of their tactics and used the same to take down HYDRA units- thus, fooling HYDRA's intelligence unit. 

Since Bucky had such a good understanding of the Avengers, he was always a step ahead of them and never got caught by them. Sometimes, he would even leave little clues for them, to lessen his load he supposed. Bucky was also able to track down ex-HYDRA strays and assassinate them as well. 

The only downside to all this was when HYDRA got wind of the Avengers tracking down The Winter Soldier. HYDRA scheduled more hours of rigorous training sessions for him, that were just an excuse to physically abuse him. Bucky was used to all the pain, but doing these exercises every couple of days, resulted in perpetual bruising. 

The thought of Darcy was always at the back of his mind. He wondered how she was holding up. Bucky was well aware that decades of his rather 'unique' lifestyle, meant that he lost all sense of perspective. Empathy was sadly an incredibly foreign concept to him. He knew what it was, he knew he felt it when he was a young lad, but that emotion was alien to him now. 

Nevertheless, for Darcy's sake, he would try to catch movies in cinemas in his spare time. Just to keep up with normal human emotions. Bucky just wanted to live a normal life. He thought that feeling average human emotions was the first step he could take in leading a normal life to begin with. 

His Darcy would turn 25 in a few months. And he wanted to be able to see her by then. With less than ten HYDRA bases left in the world, he knew that he and the Avengers will eradicate the world from HYDRA soon enough. 

All that would be left after that would be escaping from the Avengers until he found Darcy and then depending on the situation, trying to life a normal life. He considered turning himself in as well, after figuring out what happened to Steve. Maybe Steve was an old man now, with kids and grandkids. 

“What a treat it would be to see Steve again?" he mused to himself. 

  
  


***

  
  


Darcy's first few weeks went by in an absolute haze. Tony and Jane dove headfirst into their project and worked with great intensity for over 18 hours a day. Darcy too did her part of the work and hung around the labs helping the duo to the best of her ability. During Jane's sleep breaks, Tony and herself managed to build up a rapport. 

Darcy didn't mind Tony's crass sense of humor and in fact found it incredibly refreshing. Tony on the other hand developed a soft spot for Lewis. She was a young soul and that was something Tony direly needed in his life. She brought a new perspective to things since she wasn't hardcore science. Tony thought Darcy normal. And unlike other normal people, Darcy was smart enough and insightful enough to keep with Tony's brain. He was surprised with how easily Lewis accommodated his prickly nature and made him feel comfortable. Tony didn't have many friends. And although it was too early to say, he hoped Lewis would be a potential candidate.

People always wanted something from Tony. And he didn't necessarily mind obliging, as long as he liked the person in question. So, it came as no surprise to Tony, when Lewis approached him with her problem. 

Tony's intrigue grew as he heard more details. Especially when she mentioned that his bruises healed too quickly. Tony knew that normal humans could never recover as quickly as she described. The pictures she showed him proved the severity of the injuries. In his head, he was certain that Lewis's soulmate wasn't fully human. Maybe he was an enhanced. Whatever it was, Tony was intrigued and wanted to get to the bottom of it. On the surface though, Tony didn't give much away. He just told Lewis that he understood her and will ponder over it and get back to her. 

  
  


***

Natasha, Clint, Steve and Banner were in the conference room waiting on Tony. Tony kept turning up late to all their meetings ever since he began working on that personal project of his with the two female scientists. Steve knew their names to be Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, but even a month into their arrival, none of the Avengers had the pleasure of meeting them. Tony was working with them without even a day's break since their arrival, without even sparing the time for a formal introduction. Regardless, the Avengers themselves have been pretty occupied with taking down HYDRA bases in the last many months and their target of eradicating HYDRA all together was extremely close. Steve could almost taste sweet victory.

Parallelly, they were also on the trail of The Winter Soldier. But, unfortunately their progress on that front was next to nil. Even Natasha failed to make any headway. 

With less than 10 HYDRA bases to go, the Avengers were all pretty excited. The spike in energy was palpable in the room. Steve couldn't wait to live in a world that was free of HYDRA. And he would do anything to achieve it. 

As Steve was ruminating, Natasha and Clint were having their own silent conversation, while Banner was fiddling with his phone. Thor was supposed to pay them a visit that day and help speed up the attack on HYDRA. They were all supposed to meet up at a HYDRA base that they were tipped about, located near D.C. And as soon as Tony made his appearance, they would go over their plan one last time, suit up and leave for the planned location. 

  
  


***

Stealth was key. Luckily they had that in abundance. Natasha and Clint would enter the base first. It was located in the basement of an abandoned old office building in the outskirts of D.C. Tony was in charge of securing the perimeter and Bruce and Thor were on standby. When Clint and Natasha gave them a green signal, Steve and Tony would enter the base through the second floor of the abandoned building and work their way down. 

All in all, it was a foolproof plan…until it wasn't. 

Natasha and Clint quietly went about their business and took down multiple guards and HYDRA members. No ruckus, no commotion. Additionally, Clint added a sedative chemical into the vents after alerting Natasha to put on her mask. It was then that he gave the others the green signal. 

Steve knew something was different about this HYDRA base. It felt way too technologically complex compared to the rest that they took down. The entire structure itself reminded him of bomb cellars. Incredibly sturdy. Natasha noticed this as well. She even commented that the base felt like it was being used to trap a large and powerful rabid animal. 

From what Tony saw from his IR scan of the base, there were nearly double the number of people working in the base as well. Slowly but steadily, Natasha and Clint worked their way into the main area in the base. And what they saw shocked them both. There was a large, reinforced steel cage and a chair that looked more like an electrocution device. The people in lab coats all around them seemed to be asleep and thus didn't really notice the former spies. 

Sensing Natasha and Clint's silence, Tony reached out. "What y'all seeing? Say something. Romanoff? Barton?" 

"Yeah Tony! This doesn't look too good." Clint spoke in barely a whisper. 

"But Barton, you see, I don't care how it looks! Let's just torch this place and get the hell out of here! It's giving me the creeps," Tony barked. 

"Guys. Let's take it down a notch yeah? Natasha, what's going on?" Steve as always, was the voice of reason. 

"Rogers, you're not gonna like this."

"Try me."

"The Winter Soldier's Cryo chamber is here. I think this is where he was being held between his missions."

Pure hate tore through Steve's heart. Although none of them knew it for certain, it was a pretty strong assumption that Bucky was the Winter Soldier. That somehow, he survived the fall from the train and was captured by HYDRA and made into a killing machine. The hate that Steve harbored for HYDRA was immeasurable. 

Cool, calm and collected Steve saw red and went on a rampage. The others knew they couldn't stop him. So instead of focusing their energy on that they decided to match his intensity. In less than an hour from that point on, with the assistance of both Banner and Thor, they killed every person present in that base. And in the process, they've triggered the self-destruct mechanism. All possible entrances and exits were automatically sealed and poisonous fumes filled the space. No other HYDRA base had mechanisms such as these and they were completely blindsided. 

Tony tried his best to blast their way out and even signaled for stronger blasters from the Tower. In the meanwhile, Thor made many attempts with Mjolnir, but only managed to make a few dents. Steve's adrenaline wore off and no matter how much brute force he applied, they just couldn't get themselves out. Toxic gases were filling the space at a rapid rate and even Steve was feeling extremely uncomfortable. Clint and Natasha were the hardest hit. The former was already lying unconscious and Natasha looked like she was nearly there as well. 

At the brink of despair, the ceiling shattered. Surely, someone or something applied an incredible amount of force from the outside. A couple of feet of concrete cracked and they all realized that they did not have much time to scatter before the ceiling fell through. Without even a moment's delay, Tony hauled Natasha and Clint and headed straight to Stark Tower for medical attention. Meanwhile, Thor helped Rogers and Banner to make their way out the building and onto the streets. Steve looked around frantically to see who was the one that aided them. 

He saw a faint silhouette of a figure atop one of the nearby buildings. Owing to his enhanced vision, Steve was able to make out a shiny looking arm and a curtain of hair on the man's profile. Acting on pure instinct, Steve yelled for Bucky and ran in the latter's direction. He reached the exact spot where Bucky stood in less than a minute, but unfortunately, the said man was long gone. Dejection hit Steve with the force of a train. 

As Steve rested his palms on his knees and bent down to catch his breath, he noticed a yellow post-it note on the floor. Steve recognized the handwriting. Tears of joy ran down his face as he couldn't hold in his glee. His best friend Bucky was indeed alive. He knew who Steve was. Elation embodied him and his mind, body and soul. 

  
The note said " _ Soon _ !", in Bucky's chicken scratch. Steve hugged it close to his heart. 


	3. Moodu.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up! Once again, edited by the lovely @seraphimguks on Tumblr. Do check her out for some incredible JK fanfiction!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoy reading this chapter<33

For Bucky, happiness and his perpetual mental state were always at the opposite end of the spectrum that never really wavered. But weirdly enough, seeing Steve alive, bloomed joy in his chest. As much as he would like to run over and embrace his best friend, he knew that he couldn't. At least not yet. He needed to wrap up all the loose ends. 

Bucky also razed two other smaller HYDRA bases earlier that day and thus had a small pep in his step. Steve and his team also got rid of his handlers and the awful electrocution chair. Good riddance! 

Bucky never wanted to see that again. Although he was no stranger to pain, the electrocution chair was another lever of torture. Bucky thanked the stars for that fact that soulmates could not feel each other's pain. What a disaster that would be! Even an entire lifetime of penance wouldn't be enough to atone for his sins then. 

Bucky sighed as he took in the magnificence that was the New York City skyline. Bucky decided to follow Steve to his residence, but ended up in NYC. With only 4 more HYDRA bases to go, Bucky was feeling pretty good. If it all goes according to plan, he should be done by the end of the week. With two bases located just outside the Kremlin and two minor bases in NYC, Bucky knew it was only a matter of time. 

He knew Natasha used to be hot in her tracks and leveraged that to tip her off on HYDRA bases. If everything would go according to plan, Natasha and her team would destroy the Russian HYDRA bases in the next 48 hours. He would target the NYC ones in the same time frame as well. But in the meanwhile, Bucky was hungry! 

He decided to treat himself for the first time in a long time. A celebration of sorts. He wanted to have a pizza from the place that he used to go to when he was a child. Steve used to be extra happy the days Bucky brought him a slice from there. Maybe one day he could go there again with Steve. Hope bloomed and blossomed in his chest just that at the mere thought. Maybe he could go there with his soulmate as well! The possibilities were endless and Bucky could already see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

  
  


***

Darcy had been in New York City for just over a month but hadn't yet gotten a chance to be a tourist. She just wanted a day off to go sightseeing and explore. Hell, Darcy didn't even get the chance to see any of the Avengers since she was holed up in the labs. 

Deciding that she had had enough, Darcy changed her attire into a more cozy pull over, thick cotton tights and beige leggings and made her way out of the Tower the minute Tony left for some mission. 

She watched the sunset from the Brooklyn Bridge in serenity. It was the kind of peace that she needed. She loved how the sky changed from marigold orange to a tulip pink and a hydrangea blue until it deepened into a color that resembled a tipped over ink pot. There was no moon in sight, but Darcy could care less. The scenery was already picture perfect. 

Darcy had a hard time deciding what she wanted to eat for dinner. Brooklyn had so much to offer and frankly, Darcy found herself overwhelmed. As she turned the corner, she noticed a small pizzeria tucked away amidst all the fancy restaurants. It looked like a fairly old establishment and hadn't seen any renovations in decades. It was bustling with customers and its old school charm won Darcy over.

Darcy went overboard with excitement and ended up buying herself three New York slices that were each almost the size of her face. Darcy had a ravenous appetite, but she already consumed enough Coney dogs to feed a small family in the last two hours. Nevertheless, finding a seat in the tiny establishment was proving to be harder than anticipated. Nearly all the seats in each table were occupied. Except one table. 

It was a tiny table for two, nestled near the back of the establishment. It was close to the ovens and thus warm and cozy. But there was a man already occupying one of the chairs and his seven pizza slices were taking over the rest of the table. Darcy smiled to herself noticing his appetite. Although the man looked shabby in his appearance, Darcy was drawn to him. Other patrons rather stood and ate their pizzas instead of grabbing a seat with that man. Darcy could see how he came off as intimidating, but she felt no such fear. She knew she trusted her gut. So, she marched on over and plopped herself in the seat in from of him. The stranger looked up and their eyes met. 

As cheesy as it sounds, it felt like time really did stop for Darcy. To say that the man looked homeless was a compliment. Darcy never really fancied unkempt, hunky men, but there was something about this guy. His hair, for starters, was an absolute mess. It was stringy and limp and fell across his face like a curtain and looked like a long bowl cut gone wrong. His face and neck were grimy and his lips had this perpetual scowl to them. But his eyes… 

The man's eyes were magnificent. In fact, the word 'magnificent' didn't even cut it. Like the vast ocean after enduring a raging storm on a gloomy summer night, it was the near perfect dance or blue, green and aqua that performed in his irises. Darcy could drown in his ocean forever and never even have the mere thought of regret. 

She was brought out of her reverie when the man bent his head down and resumed his consumption. After a beat or two, Darcy proceeded to do the same. Shame coated her cheeks when her thoughts circled back to her soulmate. But even so, she couldn't resist sneaking glances at the man in front of her. He was rather strong for a homeless man. Even through his shabby cargo jacket, she could make out the muscles underneath. She wondered who this man even was. He was such a contradiction. 

Darcy watched in awe as the man put away 7 jumbo slices in a matter of minutes. He still looked as hungry as ever. She herself was way too distracted to get through her first slice in the same time frame. Slowly but steadily, she pushed her remaining two slices towards the man. He immediately looked up and met her eyes once again. Darcy gently nodded her head in assurance and nudged the paper plate further in his direction. Without the need for much coaxing, the man accepted her generous donation and proceeded to eat. This time, at a much normal pace. 

The man kept his gaze trained on Darcy. Even though she should have been feeling creeped out, she didn't. Darcy for the first time in a long time felt content. But she just chalked it up to being outside and having social interaction with strangers for the first time in a long time. She lived in a very isolated Norwegian town for four years and then was cooped up in a heavily guarded science facility for a month and today was the first day in forever that she got to do normal American things. 

Seeing that it was getting late, she proceeded to leave the pizzeria. She smiled once at the man in front of her before making an exit. 

As Darcy proceeded to walk towards one of the larger streets in Brooklyn to hail a taxi, she came across a few alleyways in the process. She proceeded to enter one of them to discard the tissue she had just used into the dumpster. In retrospection, that probably wasn't the smartest decision. 

"Hey there baby girl! How you doin?!" drawled this man surrounded by four others. They looked like local goons, but Darcy wasn't afraid. 

"Lookin a lil’ lost there, baby! Wanna have some fun?!" said another. Darcy was  _ officially _ creeped out. 

A few more middle-aged men entered the scene and Darcy could have sworn they were pimps. "Yeah, we'll show you a good time." 

The men had a very smug look on their faces and Darcy just wasn't a fan. She couldn't take down nearly 10 men at once, regardless of how trained she was. Her best bet was to make a run for it and hope that their heavy-set bodies wouldn't have the same endurance as her. Although some of the men looked really fit, running away was the best option available to her. 

Adrenaline took over her and she attempted to make a mad dash out of the alleyway, but she was a few seconds too late. One of the men anticipated her flighty response and sneaked up towards her. Before she could cover any significant ground, the man caught up to her and restrained her. Darcy kicked and punched to the best of her ability and although she caused some serious damage to that one guy, another swiftly took his place in holding her down. Having no other alternative, Darcy let out a shrill scream for help, following which she was gagged with a stinky sock, courtesy of one of the pimp-like men. As she fought and struggled to get out of their grip, Darcy did manage to successfully injure a number of them, but her hands and feet were quickly secured using zipties. Her body was at the mercy of the filthy, men around her. Since her legs were tied up as well, she couldn't manage to stand upright on her own, and her body was fully supported by one of the men. She writhed and yelled to her heart's content, to no avail. Or so she thought. 

Just as the men pushed her down to her knees and began to undo their belts, a hooded man ran to the scene and landed powerful punches at the scum. In an incredible show of a rather lack of competition, the hunky hooded man annihilated all ten men. In less than a few minutes, the scum were all lying horizontal on the ground, bleeding from several injuries and groaning in pain. Darcy watched in amazement and tried to follow the actions of the rather familiar silhouette. She was awestruck at his fighting style and wanted to learn it. 

The hunky hooded man made his way behind Darcy and yanked her from her kneeling stance into a standing one. In one smooth motion, he pushed her body against the wall, still holding on to her zip-tied wrists behind her back. Although Darcy had a minor internal panic for a second, she quickly realized that the man tore open the zip-ties, both on her hands and feet. By the time Darcy turned around to see her savior's face, he was already jogging away.

Darcy made an attempt to run after him but immediately tripped and fell down. She could audibly hear a pop as she fell onto the pavement. As she looked up from where she fell, the man was nowhere in sight. Tears once again prickled her face, this time in pain. 

Just as she got cornered by the men earlier, she activated a small SOS button located inside a small pendant that she was wearing. Pepper gave her the pendant on her first day of work and demanded that Darcy never take it off her person. Embedded in it was a tracking device that would help them locate her, if something ever happened. 

She knew that it was just a matter of a few minutes before someone came to her rescue. Till then, she sat on the pavement, caressing her ankle. 

To her utter surprise, a disheveled Captain Steve Rogers rushed over to her in civilian attire. He crouched down before her and offered her his kerchief that he retrieved from his front pocket. Ever the gentleman. 

"Miss Lewis, my apologies for the delayed arrival. Have you sustained any injuries that require immediate medical attention?"

"Uhh… no. Just um… I… uh… twisted my ankle." Darcy was rather proud of herself for getting some words across given that Captain Roger's arrival left her speechless. 

"Good! That's good! Let's get back to the tower, shall we?" 

"Yes please."

Steve helped her get on his back, given that he could barely walk. The two of them left for the Tower in one of Stark's many cars. 

Watching the entire scene unfold from a higher vantage point was Bucky. Was the girl, Steve's soulmate? Honestly, Bucky was unsure. But still, Bucky was happy that he was able to save someone from harm, for a change and it was all the better if that person was someone close to Steve. 

  
  


***

Darcy had a rather pleasant ride with Steve till the Tower and they exchanged introductions and their stories. Darcy explained what went down at the scene and Steve apologized repeatedly for not being there on time. Darcy brushed it off, insisting that she didn't mind and was glad that it all worked out in the end. Steve was easy to talk to and they bonded over the similarities in their music taste. 

Steve was making his way through the decades and his current obsession was 80s jazz. Coincidentally, that was Darcy's favorite era of music. In the early 80s, jazz and pop fusion gained significant popularity and was all the rage with radio stations. The duo bonded over their love for Marcus Miller and Chaka Khan. 

By the end of the ride, Steve proclaimed them friends and they made their way to the common lounge in the residential space of the Tower. There, Darcy reunited with her buddy Thor. She was also formally introduced to the rest of the Avengers, all excluding Barton and Romanoff, who were currently still receiving medical attention for their exposure to the toxic gas. 

All in all, Darcy had a whirlwind of a day and fell asleep immediately as soon as she hit the sack. 

***

Two days later, Darcy made another attempt to leave the tower. She just wanted to have a peaceful day in The City of Dreams. To walk around Central Park like a normal tourist and pet the dogs that she encountered. 

Her soulmate had sustained many injuries the night prior and Darcy couldn't get her mind off of it. She was going absolutely crazy with worry and she truly didn't know how long she could hold out hope. She has sustained his distanced behavior for four years. Four years gone and she didn't even know his name. Dejected, Darcy hoped that the fresh air and open spaces that Central Park offered would be enough to take her mind off everything. 

She strolled around lazily from the late afternoon till the evening. Darcy was still a bit wary from what happened the other day, so she decided that she would take a taxi back to the tower once it was nightfall. 

Darcy looked up into the evening sky in utter awe. The sun, a bright, white distended circle, peeped out from behind the Red Maple trees and bled out orange beams of light as far as the eye could see. As she tilted her head back even further, the orange quietly faded into a cherry blossom pink and then into a lavender that kept getting deeper. The deep lavender finally shifted into a dark Navy, that took over more and more of the sky as the sun bids adieu from behind the autumnal trees. 

In the backdrop of the gorgeous sunset, Darcy chose to end her adventure of the day at the banks of the Hudson River. Strobe lights hung from lamp post to lamp post and the pathway adjacent to the river was just brimming with people. 

Darcy could see happy families and happy couples, hand in hand, taking a lovely late evening stroll by the river and treating themselves with street food and carnival games while they were at it. Even in such a joyous atmosphere, she couldn't keep her spirits high. She felt like a dark cloud. Exhausted with worry and work, Darcy slumped down onto one of the nearby benches. As her eyes lazily flitted through the passing crowd, she spotted a man. A man who looked extremely familiar. 

It was the same homeless looking guy she met at the pizzeria two nights ago. And without even a second thought, she tried to get to him, which was proving rather difficult amidst the crowd of people. She tried her best to not lose track of the back of his head as she tried to push her way closer to him. In that process of pushing through people, she tripped somehow. To break her fall, she caught onto the closest thing she could find, which just happened to be someone's black trench coat. As she was trying to stabilize and lift herself up, the trenchcoat man turned to look down at her with sheer frustration. At that point, Darcy noticed three things: One, the man had shoulder length hair in a loose ponytail. Two, he had a revolver stashed in his waistband. Three, they both seemed to be chasing after the same man. 

In what she hoped was a convincing expression, Darcy began apologizing and acted like she didn't see the revolver. It seemed like man bought it, since her completely ignored her and continued on with his chase with a sneer on his face. 

Darcy was right on his tail. Even if she was mistaken about the trenchcoated man's target, she still couldn't let him hurt anyone else. Darcy followed him in the crowd for a good few minutes before he broke away from the swarm of people. At this point, Darcy's assumption solidified. Her Pizza man was being followed by a man with a revolver. Fear sat like a large lump of coal in her stomach. She needed to do something. Something quick.

Her Pizza guy kept walking towards the more isolated regions of the park and she didn't know if he was doing it on purpose. Regardless, there wasn't really anybody around and Darcy decided it was a good time as any to prepare herself. She had to attack immediately, since the trenchcoat man will know that Darcy was tailing him and just might end up shooting her instead. She was a few feet behind him when she saw him reach for his revolver. Somehow, clumsy Darcy sprouted cheetah-like reflexes. With lightning speed, she got her taser out of her sling bag and sprinted towards the trenchcoated man. With her left hand outstretched, she pulled the right side of his unbuttoned trench coat towards the left, exposing his rather thin shirt and attacked him with the taser, right at the small of his back. The poor guy had no chance to press the trigger and writhed like worms in a can before he fell flat onto the grass. 

At that point, her pizza man turned around and looked at her. Straight at her. His expression gave nothing away. Darcy couldn’t really look away either. 

The staring contest ended pretty quickly as the groans by the trench coat man sharply cut the background sounds from the crowd behind them. The pizza man, with disturbing ease, hauled the body of the trenchcoated man into a fireman’s hold and proceeded to leave the scene, without even a second glance. 

Darcy followed him, like a moth to a flame. 

Lucky for them, the trenchcoated man looked like he was incredibly drunk and was being carried by his friend. The pizza man kept walking for what seemed like forever and didn't seem to tire even in the slightest. In fact, there were so many red flags but she just kept brushing them off. Her gut told her that she is safe with the Pizza man and she went along with it.

“Hey!” Darcy called out to him. Expectedly, there was no response. So, she quickened her pace a little and fell into step next to him instead of trailing behind him. 

“Hello! I’m Darcy, and you are?” She asked him, smiling brightly. At this, his steps faltered a bit and he looked straight at her. They were walking on the tiled footpath running parallel to the river with rustic yellow lamp posts glowing their path. 

Unperturbed by his lack of response, Darcy resigned herself to having a one-sided conversation. “But you must tell me what to call you!”

Bucky was very much at a loss. He knew his name, but he hasn't heard it in many decades. He also didn't feel comfortable giving his name out to some stranger. But on the other hand, the girl was called Darcy. She had the same name as his soulmate. If by some strange twist of fate Darcy was indeed his other half, he did not want to disappoint her. As much as he wanted to have a conversation with her, social interaction was an alien concept to him. Sure, in another life, Bucky had been the life of the party. But he was living a different life now. 

“Bucky.” He growled.

Darcy turned to face him. He needed a bit of grooming but apart from that, Bucky was really attractive. She was so drawn to him that she didn't even have the chance to admonish herself for wanting a man that wasn't her soulmate. She felt a sense of calm when around him, and she didn't want to ruin it by ruminating over it. 

Bucky on the other hand, was growing increasingly fond of the girl next to him. Her bravery and courage were extremely attractive. He had to admit that he fell a little in love when she tased the HYDRA agent. Bucky was well aware that he was being tailed and thus he proceeded to draw him away from the crowd. And although Bucky could make out a third presence, he didn’t think much of it. It would have been two HYDRA operatives at best. Nothing that he couldn't handle. 

It was a genuine surprise that the girl he met a few nights ago saved him. For a brief moment, he considered the possibility that she was a spy sent by Steve and the Avengers. But that thought went as quickly as it came. That was very unlikely anyway. 

She also was nothing like the girls that he tumbled with before. At least it wasn't as obvious on the outside. Even before being the winter soldier, Bucky fancied a good time with female partners. Lithe, strong and sexy, and he encouraged promiscuity. At that time, he was a young virile lad, twenty-five years of age with the war looming like a dark cloud over their heads and no soulmark in sight. So, with his plans of enlisting for the army, he decided that he wouldn’t wait for his soulmate, especially when he didn't know how long he would be alive and he didn't want to miss out on enjoying his twenties. Funnily enough, he didn't expect to be alive for this long. 

  
  


***

Darcy and Bucky walked in a comfortable silence. While Darcy took this opportunity to cleanse her mind, Bucky had two major things to worry about. He needed to figure out a way to interrogate the HYDRA operative who was lying unconscious on his shoulders and somehow determine if he was Darcy’s soulmate without her finding out. 

The latter was easy enough. Bucky pulled a small switchblade he had in his pocket and without Darcy noticing, he made a small incision with his left hand, just above his left brow. 

In his heart of hearts, he knew he was conflicted at best. If Darcy was indeed his soulmate, it wouldn't be long before his and Steve’s paths cross. Bucky didn't know if he was ready for that. Although all the HYDRA bases have been destroyed, there are still some loose ends. And he wasn't sure how Steve would react to all that has happened to him. Maybe Steve wanted the old Bucky back. He unfortunately couldn't give that to Steve. 

There was also the case of Darcy. If she truly was his soulmate, he would not have the opportunity to ease himself into her life. She would know about his past before he would get the chance to show himself to her. Accepting all of him would be an uphill task to say the least. Loving him was another matter altogether. 

Bucky steeled himself and peeked a look at her side profile. And without much fanfare, Bucky figured out that his soulmate was right next to him. The first emotion he felt was elation, surprisingly enough. For the first time in a long time, he smiled ear to ear. Bucky was positively beaming. Darcy seemed to have noticed the shift in the air and she turned to see him smiling like he was in a toothpaste commercial. Darcy thought that he had a beautiful and infectious smile. She too smiled wide and bright. Upon seeing this, Bucky made a split second decision. 

“Can you take me to Steve?”


	4. Nalugu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edited by the lovely @seraphimguks on Tumblr. Do check her out!!!

Bucky was a nervous wreck. He was on his way to the Tower along with Darcy. He was slowly processing his actions inside his head while he let his impulse take control. First and foremost, he could not believe that he met his soulmate! Although he felt a little giddy initially, dread filled his veins now. The old Bucky oozed confidence, now he was a mess of a person who needed the validation and assurance from the two most important people of his life that his humanity was still intact. Despite all the lives he’d taken, almost all of which he remembers, he still deserved love and a chance to right his wrongs. 

Worst case scenario, Steve and the Avengers punish him for his crimes. 

Maybe they will leave him to suffer or maybe they will kill him. But that too, Bucky decided that he will accept without a fight. His death was one way of atonement for his sins. Although his death meant that he will leave the world without a chance to experience life with his soulmate, he really couldn't care less. Because as harsh as it sounds, even Bucky knew that he could never love Darcy the way she deserved if he didn't love himself. 

Honestly, Bucky fucking hated himself. He hated what happened to him. He really fucking hated that his hands spilled the blood of so many people. He was a good guy, or at least the old Bucky was. Even without much introspection, Bucky knew that the old him would despise himself in his current state. 

***

It was midnight by the time the trio reached the Tower. Darcy took them through the back entrance and directly to the residential floor. On her way to the tower, Darcy took the liberty of texting Pepper about Bucky. Darcy wasn’t stupid. She was able to recognize Bucky from some pictures she had seen of him on the internet. The moment he mentioned Steve, things clicked into place in her head. Her life was truly getting weirder and weirder. Bucky was there, in person, sitting next to her in a bright yellow New York City taxi, with an unconscious man whom she could only deduce to be a HYDRA operative. 

As they exited the elevator and entered the common lounge in the residential floors, Darcy could see that Steve was perched atop the large sectional, facing the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the NYC skyline. He turned in their direction and she could see the sheer joy on Steve's face when he saw Bucky. And on the other hand, she saw a soft smile breaking Bucky’s perpetual poker face. 

Steve embraced his best friend. Tightly. And Bucky soon reciprocated. It was a scene so sweet and Darcy felt like an intruder. As she turned around to leave quietly, Bucky caught her wrist. Wordlessly, he dragged both Steve and Darcy over to the sectional by their wrists. He could not handle the anticipation. Bucky wanted it all out in the open. A hint of silver somewhere near Bucky’s pockets caught Steve’s eye, thick confusion making its way up the latter’s throat. And then he proceeded to shed his outer jacket. And then the hoodie underneath. He made note of the look of surprise in Darcy’s expression as he removed his hoodie and his leather gloves. 

Bucky was now left in his short-sleeved undershirt. He saw Steve's eyes roam over his left arm in particular. His expression wasn't something Bucky wanted to even register. And the same applied for Darcy as well. After a short moment he picked up the switchblade and made an incision on the pad of his right thumb. 

A gasp out of Darcy cut through the deafening silence as she made note of the new mark forming on her right thumb. And suddenly everything clicked into place. She stared at Bucky in shock for only a moment or two before leaping at him. Darcy threw her arms around his neck perched sideways on his lap and pulled herself close to him. Tears trickled down Darcy’s face, as she hungrily dug her face into the crook of her soulmate’s neck. She breathed easier. Finally, the weight of finding her soulmate was lifted from her chest. The universe felt more aligned, all the moments Darcy had encountered, leading up to now, felt worth it. 

Bucky noticed the sheer content that glistened in his soulmate’s eyes as she jumped into his arms. He could feel a wet patch on his shoulder as her tears ran free. Tentatively, he proceeded to pat her back in reassurance. 

Steve chuckled seeing Bucky uncomfortable. 

The Bucky that Steve remembered was different. But that wasn't a matter. Whether Bucky realized it or not, Steve would never leave him. Steve had time to come to terms with the fact the Bucky was the Winter Soldier. His soulmate helped him through the entire process many months ago. He had made peace with the fact that they couldn't just go back to the way things were. 

Instead, Steve will adapt to Bucky’s space. When it came to The Winter Soldier, Steve didn't care. He believed very strongly that they were two separate people. Bucky would not and will not be held responsible for his actions while being under HYDRA, since he was nothing more than a human weapon then. He vowed to protect Bucky with all his strength and with all his heart. That was the one thing he knew with absolute certainty.

  
  


***

  
  


Darcy did not let Bucky go for a long time. While Steve took his leave to deal with the HYDRA operative, they stayed like that, entangled and content. Bucky too, eased into her hold. Eventually, he realized Darcy fell asleep on him and proceeded to take her to her living quarters with JARVIS’s assistance. 

Her scent permeated her entire living space. He was definitely feeling overwhelmed. He made his way into her bedroom and gently placed her down after pulling the tucked in sheets aside. A sleeping Darcy however, was very cuddly. She had a surprisingly strong hold. Bucky had trouble getting himself out of it, but when he finally tucked her in, he sat there, next to her sleeping form, staring at her like an angel from heaven. 

Guilt was the strongest emotion that he was feeling, as he drank her features. 

She had long, luscious chocolate tinted hair that curled at the ends. Darcy had subtle rosy lips and large doe eyes that were Bucky’s new weakness. Looking at her like this, he knew he was supposed to primarily feel love, lust or attraction towards her. Unfortunately for them, all that Bucky was feeling was guilt and pity. 

Guilt that he couldn’t love her, not at least anytime soon and it was a pity that she was stuck with a murderer like him. Honestly, he knew pretty much nothing about his soulmate, but every fiber in his being agreed that the more he found out about her, the stronger he would drown in remorse.

Bucky decided to step out and get some fresh air after gently kissing his soulmate’s forehead in goodbye. With JARVIS’s assistance, Bucky found his way to the helipad. Thinking the strong breeze might help him clear his head. But as he stepped onto the concrete, he saw the only person he didn't want to see.

Tony Stark.

The most unfortunate thing out of being responsible for the demise of Maria and Howard Stark was that Bucky was insensitive to it. He did not know Tony enough to sympathize. He committed too many murders and ruined too many families to genuinely feel sorry for each in particular. 

He knew what he did was wrong. Well, he was basically a murder bot with no consciousness. He did feel remorse for his actions, but after taking so many lives, it was hard not to become rough around the edges. 

Truthfully, the feeling of shame that arose in him when he saw Tony was proof enough that there was some humanity still left in him. It was proof that he was not completely broken. He was salvageable. With that, hope blossomed in his chest like Northern Europe’s endless picturesque fields of tulips in full bloom. Hope blossomed in him in bold bright colours. 

Right then, Bucky’s heart was a bright buttercup yellow. 

Tony’s was a pit of coals charring his tulips to crisps. 

  
  


***

Bucky braved his soul and gingerly took a seat next to Tony. They were both seated at the edge of the helipad with their feet dangling down. The backdrop to their foreboding conversation was a breathtaking and unimpeded view of the New York City skyline. 

Tony had a few bottles of single malt aged scotch next to him and was surprisingly still nursing his first glass. Bucky was aware of Tony’s tendency to get drunk often. This wasn't painting the usual picture. 

“So, Darcy’s soulmate huh?” Tony spoke, tired. A far cry from his usual confident, bold self. Tony took a large gulp from his glass and looked straight at the skyline when he muttered the words. 

“Tony, I’m sorry.” Bucky’s response was as soft as a gentle spring breeze. 

“Are you really?” Tony’s words had no bite to them. Just bitterness, no malice.

“I don't know.” Bucky paused for a few moments, trying to formulate the right sentences. Tony scoffed. Loudly. 

Bucky took a deep breath and began his monologue.

“It’s like watching a movie play out in first person. I have no recollection of maintaining some sense of consciousness while carrying out my missions. It is only after the mission finishes that I remember what happened in bits and pieces, and when I relive it in my head, the damage that I caused, all I can do is hate myself.”

Bucky pauses, to gauge Tony’s reaction to what he said so far. He got nothing. So, Bucky decided to continue.

“Tony, back then Steve was a very sick kid. We both were incredibly poor. I was much healthier than him and enlisting in the army meant that I could ensure a steady income for Steve. To see Steve healthy and happy was all that I ever wanted out of life. Given the war and strife back then, I had no rosy fantasies of settling down with my soulmate either. I had no bloodlust. If I had any other choice, I wouldn't have even enlisted.”

“Stripping was always an option. You would have made good money. Even back then.” Tony pointed out matter-of-factly. Bucky reeled in confusion. He had gone without social interaction for way too long. Was Tony jesting with him? The safest bet would be to let out a small chuckle, he thought. So, he did. 

“Well I did consider that! I was sleeping around a lot back then and thought, ‘why not get paid for it?’ But unfortunately, with the impending war, the upper-class women could not afford me. And the men who haven’t enlisted were just rich fat people who liked degradation. They wouldn't have paid me much anyway. Plus, Steve would have nagged until my ears fell off if he knew I was whoring myself out to feed him.”

“Yes! Yes, he would.” This time it was Tony’s turn to chuckle. 

The silence between them got slightly more comfortable, like a leash that had been loosened just a smidgen.

“Did they say anything? Before they passed? About me maybe?” Tony asked Bucky with such a soft childlike innocence that really didn't fit his public persona. Bucky absolutely hated himself for saying what he said next. 

“After the car crashed into the tree, Howard recognized me and pleaded with me to save Maria.” Bucky was visibly struggling to form his words. 

“I proceeded to punch him till I heard his skull crack. Then I strangled Maria, took the serum and fled.” 

Tony showed no reaction for a long while. 

“I’m sorry that this happened. But I cannot truly apologize the way you want me to. I only recollected these memories over a year ago. The Winter Soldier killed your parents. I would have never done that, had I been in my senses or had any chance at controlling my actions. That being said, I will endure any punishment you choose to dole out.”

“Alright then. Follow me.” At that, Tony gulped down the rest of his glass and stood up, seemingly nonchalant. Bucky obediently followed him towards the elevators and then into what looked like a training room. 

He pointed to the centre of the room. “Stand there and block my moves.”

As Bucky proceeded to do as instructed, Tony took his own sweet time wrapping his wrists and removing his footwear. 

Without a split second’s hesitancy, Tony ran at full speed across the large, padded training room, straight towards Bucky and perfectly executed a powerful jump roundhouse kick, which unsurprisingly, Bucky blocked with ease. Tony, in his bent stance proceeded to jab at his chest and torso in rapid succession and then attempted to fake a punch to Bucky’s neck. He thought that with the split-second opening, he could deliver a strong hit to Bucky’s abdomen. Alas! Bucky was too fast for Tony and successfully blocked the hit to his lower abdomen with his left arm. The hit to the titanium alloy severely bruised his knuckles, but Tony was too far gone with long suppressed rage that the adrenaline coursing through his body made it impossible for him to register any pain. 

Hit after hit, he attempted on Bucky, with close to none successful. All Tony got in return was bruising caused by forceful contact with Bucky’s solid forearms. For the course of the one hour that the duo spent in the training room, Tony went at Bucky without even pausing to take a breath. Tony executed near perfect kicks and punches at Bucky all through the sides and front of his body. But sadly, for him, Bucky was built like a brick and he couldn’t land even ten solid hits. This further fueled his rage and like a vicious circle, Tony couldn’t stop himself from getting hurt. Bucky even tried to suppress his instincts and let himself be hit. But that too enraged Tony. 

“Don't go easy on me.” He gritted through his teeth. 

When Tony came to the end of his physical capacity of sustaining injuries and delivering blows, he unceremoniously tumbled onto the cushioned mat as his lungs cried for air. To say that Tony was exhausted as an understatement. His shirt for completely soaked through and his brows couldn’t keep the tears of perspiration out of his eyes. Actual tears too ran down his face. He looked like a man on the brink of death with his face so wrought. 

Bucky went to the corner of the room to fetch a towel and water-bottle. He kneeled down next to Tony and proceeded to gently pat away the mess of tears and sweat on his face. He did the same for his hands and feet and then gently massaged his thighs and calves and finally the balls of his feet. 

Bucky didn't really know why he was doing this. A form of penance maybe? He truly wasn’t sure.

Deep down, he knew that Tony was important to Darcy and Steve. And he never wanted them to have to make the choice of choosing any one of them over the other. It wasn't lost on him that Tony gave Steve a home. A place of belonging. Something that was on Bucky’s mind ever since he was a mere teen. Tony was also taking care of Darcy. The two most important people in Bucky’s life were comfortable and safe thanks to Tony and Bucky knew that he had to mend that bridge. The extremely fragile bridge that lay between Bucky’s acceptance and Tony’s forgiveness. 

However small of a task, it was something. A start. Hopefully a new beginning. 

Pepper too thought the exact same thing as she viewed the happenings of the training room on her bedroom monitor with tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t keep in her joy as she mindlessly caressed her knuckles with her palms. For the first time, she thought her hands resembled the vast red fields with blooming purple tulips, instead of a sea of blood with rotting purple bodies. 

With that she slept a comfortable dreamless sleep even without her soulmate by her side. A smile wide on her resting face.

***

Bucky and Tony had an unspoken shift in their relationship after that night. The duo frequently sought each other out. What began under the guise of tinkering with Bucky’s arm became a rather unexpected friendship. One that wasn't filled with words, rather, a silent understanding. 

Bucky tailed Tony wherever he went and even accompanied him into the labs where he worked with Darcy and Jane. Although Darcy was his soulmate, he was painfully awkward around her. She would try to initiate conversations but to no avail. Bucky would give restrained responses. If this was taxing on Darcy, she didn't show it. Jane could only look at her with concern and helplessness. 

Steve on the other hand was just as hurt as Darcy. His best friend was avoiding him worse than the dead do the grim reaper. As much as he wanted to give him space, Steve was also very much eager to make up for lost time. Bucky behaved extremely awkwardly around him and chose to be with Tony instead. Steve couldn't really believe his eyes the first couple of times he saw the two together. He confronted Darcy about it when he too noticed that she was receiving the same treatment. 

When this behavior of Bucky’s continued for over a week, they desperately sought Tony out for an explanation when Bucky was sleeping. 

“I have convinced him to see a therapist. His sessions begin in two days. Although he has not articulated to me as such, I believe that he is too ashamed to be around you two.” 

Steve and Darcy looked at each other in silent understanding. They were strong empaths themselves and they, in their limited capacity, had some sense of understanding about Bucky’s feelings. 

“Be patient, will you? Pepper and I have a strong feeling he will come around sooner than you may expect.” He gave the two a few reassuring pats on their shoulders and left in search of Pepper.

As a direct consequence of being ignored by Bucky, Steve and Darcy began spending more time together. Steve now had someone to talk to about Bucky. 

Unrestrained, he shared with Darcy all their teenage escapades. In return, Darcy shared with Steve all the stories of her frequent bruises. How they would show up at the most unexpected times in the most unexpected places and how she crafted many funny stories as a coverup. The duo reminisced about the man they loved and somehow built a beautiful friendship around it. With Steve’s soulmate, Sharon Carter dispatched on an extended undercover mission, he was feeling lonely and being around Darcy’s infectious optimistic personality, he felt much better. 

Bucky’s path towards getting better was in no way a linear graph. There were good days and there were bad days and then there were worse days. Tony swore up and down that the therapist he chose for Bucky was the best in her field and Darcy and Steve didn't doubt him. 

One of the worst days came after a series of subsequent good days, a few weeks into the commencement of therapy. Darcy had just returned from spin class after a particularly exhausting day at the labs. Just as she was lathering her hair with shampoo, she could hear her door being thrown open. Before she could comprehend much, a clothed Bucky ambushed her in the shower. He stepped under the hot spray and tenderly held her jaw both his palms and roughy kissed her. 

Darcy was weak. Weak for the physical affection that she was yet to receive from her soulmate. So, she offered him no resistance. She, too, kissed him with as much force and wrapped her arms around his toned torso and arched her spine to meet his mouth more comfortably. Darcy was utterly touch-starved. She was well into her twenties and hadn't had a kiss since she was twelve. 

All thoughts left her mind and the only thing she could grasp at was Bucky. Her hands slipped under his wet shirt and revealed his chiseled abs and toned back inch by inch. Bucky did the rest for her by peeling off his solid navy tee from over his head. Only for seconds they pulled their lips apart for Darcy to catch her breath. Their eyes met. Darcy was transfixed by the beauty in front of her. Her Bucky was a pure soul. Marred by decades of dark, disastrous despair. But when all those charred layers are peeled away, Darcy was confident that they could make do with the purity that was left. 

Bucky interrupted her wandering thoughts with more bruising kisses of his own. Darcy was far from complaining. He lifted her naked, wet body with much ease and held her in place by placing his metal palm right under her ass. The cool touch on such a sensitive place sent shivers through her body. Darcy looped her hands around his neck and tried to stare into his eyes. They held so many emotions that his face never revealed. She wanted to uncover them piece by piece. 

All that Darcy wanted was to love her soulmate uninhibitedly. But that was proving to be a very difficult task. Bucky wouldn't make eye contact with her for more than a few seconds at a time. But this time, Darcy took her right arm out from around his neck, and used it to cup the side of his jaw with her long, slim fingers. She could see that this sort of intimacy was making him extremely uncomfortable. 

Unwilling to pressure him any further, she stopped trying to look into his gorgeous eyes. Instead, she rubbed her cheek against his stubble and then proceeded to do the same to his neck. Bucky let out a small chuckle at her behavior. Darcy came back to focus all her attention on his lips. Bucky with wet, swollen, red lips - an image she wanted imprinted in her brain forever. 

Soon, they took their little love fest out the shower and onto the bed. Darcy wasted no time at all, as she began kissing Bucky on her way south. She licked, sucked and bit all across his chest and abs. Even showing no hesitancy to dole out the same affection to the ugly, marred region where the metal fused with the skin. She took her own sweet time reaching his happy trail and Bucky made sure his impatience and eagerness were felt. Just as she was about to take in his member, he had a second of panic and he flipped him and Darcy over. Darcy let out a short yet sharp cry of indignation. Bucky paid absolutely no mind to it and proceeded to resume his ministrations. 

He aggressively marked her all across her chest and lower neck. Later he moved on to his breasts. He cupped them in his hands and squeezed them till she made the sounds that felt like music to his ears. He loved the feeling of her full breasts in his palms and lovingly played with them for a hot minute. Right after which, he proceeded to suck her tits like there was no tomorrow. Darcy arched her chest towards him and her fingers tightly gripped the sheets as she writhed in mind-numbing pleasure. 

Bucky gently teethed along her nipples and bit the side of her breast teasingly. Darcy let her fingers tangle in his hair. She loved that he had longer hair that she could pull. Bucky seemed to love Darcy’s fingers in his hair more than he anticipated. Reinvigorated, he ravaged her breasts in a much more rough manner the second time around and Darcy clearly loved it. He could feel her wetness on her thigh as he lay upon her. Deciding that he couldn't wait any longer, Bucky went in for the kill.

Bucky pulled back and enjoyed the view. A very naked Darcy laying rather spent on the bed. He could see all the marks he made on her skin. And also all the marks that she made on his skin. It was one of the most remarkable things that he has ever witnessed. Bucky wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment forever. 

He began with gently kissing her ankle. And then kissed the curve of her heel and peppered small kisses along the sole of the foot before lightly biting her toes. Darcy was extremely ticklish and she laughed beautifully. Bucky felt such joy at that moment that he too resonated with a wide smile. 

He kissed, bit and marked her legs all along her calves and then her thighs until he reached her womanhood. Bucky dove in and licked and sucked like his life depended on it. Dacry on the other hand was completely unprepared for this level of sexual stimulation. She was already dripping wet. Bucky took the pleasure of bending both her knees till they lay parallel to her torso and continued to give her some really good oral sex. The old Bucky had tonnes of practice with the ladies back in the day and it seemed like his old instincts were kicking in. The old Bucky was a pro at showing the women a good time. And he was eager to show Darcy the best time. 

He gently inserted one finger into her vagina and it entered really smoothly. Darcy was incredibly wet and she took in 3 fingers with ease, although maintaining a vice grip on them. Bucky quickly rolled on a condom and plunged into her in one sweep. Darcy let out a shrill cry at that. 

He stopped moving inside her and gently pushed the hair stuck to her face with his fingers. Tears rolled down Darcy’s eyes and Bucky wiped them with his thumb. Darcy gently held his metal arm to his face and placed a firm kiss on his palm while nodding assertively, encouraging him to move. And so Bucky obeyed. 

Bucky thrusted gently at first and then proceeded to use his strength. Darcy never knew that she would prefer it a little rough but she was glad that so far, she enjoyed things that Bucky seemed to enjoy as well. He fucked her nice and hard and she had the best and only orgasm she had ever experienced. 

The two of them climaxed together. In complete harmony. Darcy was high on post coital bliss. Seeing Bucky's face next to hers in such close proximity bloomed warmth in her heart. He snuggled close to her and rested his head on her chest. She placed a palm on his head and another arm around his shoulder blades, cocooning him in her warmth. Bucky felt the most relaxed and content that he has felt in a long, long time. 

Darcy was blissfully tired. Just as she was about to slip into the most incredible sleep of her life, she let out the words that she had been holding in for weeks. 

"I love you Bucky," Darcy murmured, voice so soft that Bucky hadn’t realized she said something until after she promptly went into a peaceful sleep. Bucky on the other hand was feeling extremely blissful till his soul mate uttered those words. 

Bucky was in full on panic mode in a matter of minutes. He understood well, thanks to his therapist, what the barrier was between him loving Steve and Darcy the way the deserved. It was him. He was the barrier. 

He needed to find a way to accept himself the way he is and come to love himself despite his past. He needed to do this for Darcy and Steve. He knew that he would do anything for those two. But, Bucky was struggling. He was struggling to forgive himself for the atrocious crimes that his body committed. He felt that it wasn't his forgiveness to be accepted. If he couldn't even forgive Himself, he could never love himself. 

This thought threw him into such a mental spiral that he had to leave. Bucky gently untangled himself from his soulmate and promptly got dressed and left Darcy's quarters. He went straight to his comfort zone. He went straight to Tony. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed reading this!!! Drop a comment, say HI!.


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